This interactive map shows 859 sites that contain at least 95% of an endangered species population and are identified as key biodiversity areas.
Students will learn that the Alliance for Zero Extinction created this map in the hopes of preserving specific habitats for endangered species in order to prevent the extinction of those species.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Clicking "learn more from source" leads to an informative article on the Alliance for Zero Extinction criteria.
Students can change the map layers to view the map in satellite, hydrography, terrain, light, or dark and turn on or off the boundaries of countries.
Additional Prerequisites
The link labeled "download from source" is broken.
The "customize visualization" section is difficult to use.
There are links for more information and other resources provided.
Differentiation
Social studies classes could identify sites on the map to research. Students could find out what countries or conservation groups are doing (or not doing) to protect the habitats vital to these endangered species.
Biology classes could discuss why most species need specific habitats to thrive and what challenges most species face, given the pace of the loss of (or changes to) their habitats.
Other resources on this topic include this TED Talk video on the 6th mass extinction, this Hot Mess video on how the pika is adapting to climate change, and this lesson plan about human impacts on the environment.
Scientist Notes
This map shows the Alliance for Zero Extinction sites. It informs our actions to conserve and protect biodiversity and endangered species against extinction. There is no contradiction in the data layers, thus, this resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS2-6 Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-LS2-7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-LS4-5 Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.12.6-8 Explain how global changes in population distribution patterns affect changes in land use in particular places.
